MCSM Gets Its Second DOE Report Card

MCSM was awarded an overall B letter grade on its second annual report card (School Progress Report) from the DOE. While this assessment represents a decline from last year’s overall grade of A, a closer examination shows that the drop is not nearly what it seems.

DOE report cards grades are based on a 100-point numerical rating system. Once a school’s numerical rating is calculated, the score is translated into a letter grade based on a scale determined each year by the DOE. Last year, MCSM earned an overall score of 67.6, the lowest possible score to earn an A grade. This year, we achieved a total score of 63.7, which left us just one-half point short of the 64.2 minimum score for an A on this year’s conversion scale. In other words, if the DOE added pluses and minuses to its letter grades, MCSM would have earned the lowest possible A- last year and almost the highest possible B+ this year.

Furthermore, and counter-intuitively, MCSM’s latest report card actually shows gains in almost all areas. Our School Environment score increased from 6.9 to 7.0 out of a maximum possible 15 with Daily Attendance increasing from 93% to 94.2%. Our Student Performance score increased from 50% of the maximum possible (15.0 out of 30) to 56% (14 out of 25). Our Student Progess rating decreased slightly from 63.9% of the maximum possible (35.2 out of 55) to 62.9% (37.7 out of 60), but it still rated an A on the DOE’s measurement scale. MCSM actually improved in most subcategories of Student Progress compared to last year.

The biggest single reason why MCSM did not earn an A again this year was a category the DOE refers to as “Extra Credit,” a category that measures the performance of a small group of our students. Last year, we earned 10.5 extra credit points compared to just 5.0 points this year. That difference accounts for more than the drop in our Overall Score, indicating that in the rest of the categories combined, MCSM actually increased its rating score.